Joan Dash

For an adult, this book is somewhat simplistic, but it's an appropriate read for preteens/teenagers. As of this date, 2019, this book is somewhat dated as it was published in around 1990 or 1991, but it's still relevant and makes me grateful to be a woman of today's age, instead of being in the generation of the women of this book who had to deal with a huge amount of misogyny and the disadvantage of being a female before feminism, especially in such a male-dominated field like science.

If show more anything, this book is a better teacher about that, than actual science. Overall a pretty interesting if somewhat light read, but again, this book is for a bit of a younger audience. show less

This is a biography that goes much further than just the life of Helen Keller as a young girl. We still learn about her youth, and learning processes, but we also learn about her life as an adult. We read about her college years, as well as her thoughts and involvements in politics. This read shines light on fear and loss of hope, and inspires all readers, and especially ones with a disability, to follow their dreams.

The book begins with Franklin's scientific life. His many inventions including bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightening rod. He created the first political cartoon. His interest in all things scientific, his observations and capacity for work and thought are fascinating.

His family life includes an illegitimate son, years spent away from his wife in Europe, many flirtations with women in his later years, and raising two grandsons.

The second half of the book deals with his work in politics show more and government and the incredible role he played in America's fight for independence. The book is wonderfully readable, includes many quotes from Franklin's own letters and gives the reader a rich picture of life in America in the 18th century. show less

I had a hard time getting into The Longitude Prize, perhaps in part because I was expecting more history and less science. However, after about 20 or 30 pages, I did get invested in the story and was more interested in the book. Basically, this nonfiction book covers the 18th century attempts to accurately determine longitude while at sea, partly to provide safety to sailing vessels and partly for the person who accomplished this to win Britain’s monetary prize to the tune of about $12 show more million in today’s U.S. currency. A major part of the book is about the efforts of John Harrison and his son William to create a clock that would remain accurate over long sea voyages. One problem I had with this book was its lack of focus. As I mentioned already, it is part history and part science, although it is also to some degree a biography of John Harrison. The book covers a lot of ground, and I’m afraid that some of the content is perhaps too technical for its intended audience of child readers. I also found the ridiculous pictures an absurd addition to a book that is otherwise very somber in tone. However, I did enjoy that the book covered a subject I otherwise didn’t know much about, and I imagine that could appeal to others as well. show less